How Yoga Helps in Reducing Stress and Anxiety

“Life has not been the same.”

You must have heard this line before, maybe from a colleague, spouse, or just a random person fidgeting on his seat on the subway. Personally speaking, life has really not been the same as before. In fact, these sudden changes have caused way more damage to our mental and physical health than we can imagine and manage.

I know this because I was a victim of this stress and anxiety at one stage of my life. Fear of pandemics, staying at home with two little boys, and constant alarming news on TV was the primary causes for my condition.

However, when I found out that yoga and medication have a significant role in managing stress and reducing anxiety, I thought, let’s give it a try. Moreover, the fact that yoga is given the importance of complementary medicine for stress, I was all in. So, how about we discuss some important yoga features that helped me balance my life.

How Yoga Is a Cure for Stress

Following are a few reasons why yoga can be considered as complementary medicine for stress.

Unity and Balance in Mind and Body

When they say that yoga helps you maintain a balanced life, they actually mean that yoga helps you balance your mind and body. When your mind and body are balanced and connected, you will live a better life.

I heard Sadhguru saying in a video that everything a person does expresses who they are. However, yoga, on the other hand, is quite the opposite, and it does not represent who you are but what you aspire to become.

Let me simplify what I just said to you. If you want to attain balance in your life, then maintaining a balance in mind and body through yoga is what you need to be doing. After successfully connecting your body with your mind, you will instantly feel the stress evaporating off of yourself.

Exercise with No External Equipment

Unlike other exercises, because yes, YOGA IS AN EXERCISE, you do not need to go to a proper gym, attend regular classes, or follow a not-so-yummy diet plan.

Did you see the point that I am trying to make?

Yes, the Ease of doing this exercise is above and beyond any other form of exercise. This realization will certainly remove some of your anxiety, if not all of it. Moreover, the slight stretching and relaxation of muscles in yoga are pretty helpful in easing out the tension in your body. The only thing you need to perform this exercise is yourself, of course, and a flat mat or any padded surface of your house.

Hatha yoga is the pillar of yoga that involves physical exercise. Some of them are feasible and only involve breathing and control. However, on the other hand, some exercises involve various physical activities and collaboration of your body parts. So, even if you are a beginner, you will find out a few exercises that you can easily do at home.

Breathing Control

Have you ever thought that controlling the very basic function of your body can significantly impact your stress?

The fundamental of our body I am talking about is our breathing process.

The breathing exercise in the yoga language is known as Pranayama. Basically, you will be doing controlled breathing, which will be associated with some postures of your body. Science has proven that control over deep breathing techniques will result in wonders on your body in controlling and managing stress.

Relaxation, the Opposite of Stress

I will discuss this point with a simple example of a mountain position. If you are just standing in a mountain position (a regular stand with your arms below towards the earth and eyes closed), then only this simple act will be doing a great job in relaxing your muscles from external strain.

This is the whole point of doing yoga: relaxing your body, which is the opposite of stress. So, the next time you feel a little overwhelmed, you can try this relaxing technique.

Clearing the Mind from Negative Thoughts

I will not be wrong if I say that every conscious mind constantly fights off negative thoughts. All of us are in a constant fight with the lame and damaging prompts that appear in our minds. Some of the negative thoughts are a permanent cause of our anxiety, and others don’t even make any sense but are powerful enough to disturb our peace.

I was in dire need to overcome this issue because it was the only way I could spend quality time with Elijah and Eric (my boys). So, I found a cure through yoga and meditation, and it worked for me, just like it works for 35 million other US residents.

Yoga and meditation involve certain poses or techniques that require your full attention and leave no room for random thoughts. Even if you are doing Pranayama, a breathing exercise, it will force your mind to stop living in the past or thinking about the future. However, just like breathing in the present time, your mind will also be focusing on the present.

Moreover, some Asanas, physical postures, are so bodily associated that your mind can not concentrate on anything other than staying in the present. Thus, you need to start yoga and meditation to control your mind and avoid random thoughts.

Conclusion

If you have decided to do yoga, you need to keep in mind one thing.

One step at a time.

To observe how yoga affects your life, you need to practice it daily for a few minutes and take baby steps. It will take time, but you will see results for sure. If you are a beginner, you need to follow yoga for beginners. Moreover, if you think that a shoulder stand is difficult for you initially, just don’t go there. You can try some easy yoga poses that are beginner-friendly. We are fixing stress here, not adding broken bones, do we!

Let me know if you have any questions about this and if this information was useful to you!